Germany is an amazing country indeed. Beneath its facade of efficiency and pragmatism is an inspiring land of creativity, romance and soul-stirring scenery. Germany is a country brimming with history, spectacular architecture, spirit-lifting culture, and thousands of museums. The German countryside is filled with spellbinding landscapes, winding rivers and never ending vineyards. Germany celebrates its historical and cultural treasures in picturesque towns of cobblestone streets and half-timbered houses, with soothing landscapes dotted with imposing fairytale castles, and with awe-inspiring cities that rose from the ashes of destruction.

Rhine River Valley

After the Danube, the Rhine River is the second longest river in Western Europe. Split into four sections, High Rhine, Upper Rhine, Middle Rhine. and Lower Rhine, it is the Middle Rhine that is known specifically as “The Romantic Rhine”, with numerous castles, fortresses and wine making villages dotted along the river’s banks. The lower half of the Middle Rhine is famous for its ancient volcanic hills, and the upper half is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with over 40 castles built during the Middle Ages. Picturesque little villages can be seen around each bend of the river, with their traditionally German half-timbered houses and Gothic church steeples, the area seems almost as if it were taken out of a fairytale.

Dresden

There are few city silhouettes more striking than Dresden’s. The classic view from the Elbe’s northern bank takes in spires, towers, and domes belonging to palaces, churches, and stately buildings, and indeed it's hard to believe that the city was all but wiped off the map by Allied bombings in 1945. Dresden's cultural heyday came under the 18th-century reign of Augustus the Strong and his son Augustus III, who commissioned many of Dresden’s iconic buildings, including the Zwinger and the Frauenkirche. As Electors and Kings of Saxony, they have furnished the city with cultural and artistic splendor, and Dresden became known as the “Florence of the North” or the “Jewel Box” on account of its baroque and rococo city center.

Saxony Wine

Although Germany is lauded mostly for its beer, wine lovers will be happy to learn that in the Rhine River Valley and in Saxony vine cultivation goes back 1,000 years. Today it’ still produces excellent wines. Covering a little over 1,000 acres, the wine region of Saxony is comparably small. Situated along the Elbe River, it is also one of the northernmost wine growing regions in Europe. But Saxony has a long winemaking tradition, with evidence of viticulture in the region dating as far back as 1161 in Meissen. The granite and gneiss based soils of the area are similar to the Austrian Wachau wine region.

Berlin

Berlin is a large metropolis with the charm of an international village. The metropolis is a worldly city, encompassing a diverse range of social activities, making it one of Germany’s popular tourist destinations. It is a world city of culture, politics, media, and science. Its economy is based on high-tech firms and the service sector, encompassing a diverse range of creative industries, research facilities and media corporations. Modern Berlin is home to world renowned universities, orchestras, museums, entertainment venues, and it hosts many sporting events. Its urban setting has made it a sought-after location for international film productions.